MARITIME ADMINISTRATION: EXTENDING OF VALIDITY OF CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCY TO 31/12/2020

MESSAGE 7 / COVID - 19

On the grounds of Art. 362 of the Merchant Shipping Code, in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak and the state of emergency declared by Decision of 13.03.2020 of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, following the recommendations of Circular Letter No 4204 / Add.5 / Rev.1 of 2 April 2020 of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), pursuant to Order No 125 / 24.03.2020 on extending the validity of certificates of competency and certificates of proficiency for seafarers on board of vessels and taking into account similar measures taken by States with a significant number of certified seafarers,

I HEREBY ORDER:

I. Seafarers holding Certificates of Proficiency (CoP) for special and additional training, issued by the Bulgarian Maritime Administration, which expires by 30 June 2020 and refresher courses are required for their renewal, are extended until the end of calendar year 2020, proceeding as follows:

1. The seafarer submits by electronic means (e-mail) or a licensed postal operator an application for extension, indicating the certificates which expires and attaches of a contract of employment or a letter from a management agent or shipowner for departure.

2. The verification carried out by officials of the Bulgarian Maritime Administration has shown that the seafarer concerned has continued professional competence in accordance with Regulation I/11, para 1.2 of the Annex of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (STCW), as amended, by one of the methods listed in Section A- I/11 of the STCW Code with respect to the required seagoing service.

3. The seafarer shall be sent electronically on his/her e-mail an individual letter of extension signed electronically by the officials authorized by me, in accordance with the Annex 1, for the extension of the validity of the relevant certificate/certificates until the end of the 2020 without passing the required refresher courses.

4. No administrative fee will be charged and paid for the extension of the relevant certificates.

II. The Certificates of Competency (CoC) of seafarers, issued by the Maritime Bulgarian Maritime Administration, whose expiration date is up to 30 June 2020 and their renewal/extension requires an examination before the Agency due to positions on board the vessels of the seafarers with one or more degrees lower than the specified level of responsibility in the certificate or failure to cover one or more functions are extended up to 31 December 2020, provided that the requirements for continued professional competence set out in item I.2 of this Order are fulfilled.

III. The extension of Certificates of Competency according to paragraph II shall be made with the appropriate entry on the certificate, upon presentation by the seafarer of a copy of the employment contract or letter from a management agent or shipowner for departure.

IV. The Bulgarian Maritime Administration is ready to send confirmation of requests for verification for the authenticity and validity of the seafarer’s certificates issued, as well as to the individual letters issued under item I to bma@marad.bg or verification@marad.bg.

V. Applications for extending the period of validity of the certificates under item I, inquiries and questions may be submitted to the following e-mails: stw_bs@marad.bg or stw_vn@marad.bg.

VI. The Chief Secretary of the Bulgarian Maritime Administration, the directors of the Directorate “Maritime Administration - Burgas” and Directorate “Maritime Administration - Varna” shall exercise control over the implementation of this Order.

Capt. Zhivko Petrov

Executive Director of

Executive Agency “Maritime Administration”